Has anyone tried bupropion immediate-release?

I've been taking bupropion for 3 months now. I've tried 300mg-XL, 2x150mg-SR, and both times (though I'd take the morning dose at 6AM) had a hard time falling asleep at night, tossing around in bed an hour or so. I normally don't have a sleeping problem. So, I now take only one 150mg-SR around 7AM and no afternoon dose. I can fall asleep fine now, but my energy runs out in the late afternoon ...

I'm wondering if I should take 2x100mg(immediate-release) instead, at 7AM and 2PM or something ... I heard that the effect of one dose should last about 6-8 hours, as opposed to SR lasts for 12 hours ... am I correct?

If anyone has tried immediate-release, could you share your experience with me? Did it work okay (gave you energy and focus)? Did you feel the side effects (anxiety, irritability, etc) were worse than XL or SR? Did your mood sink when it started to wear off?

Responses (1)

I am also having problems falling asleep. I toss and turn, but I am experiencing a new symptom. I have these electric like shocks in my muscles. My body literally jumps and wakes me up or keeps me from falling asleep. Do you have any symptoms like that? Oh by the way, I take 100 MLS 2x a day.

Hi! Thanks for your reply. No, I never felt anything like that. The side effects I experienced was anxiety/irritability and a hard time falling asleep at night ... I switched to IR(Immediate-Release) from SR two weeks ago and it's working well for me so far. I take my second dose around 1PM, so theoretically the effect fades by 7-8PM. (IR tabs are said to last about 6 hours, as opposed to SR tabs last 12 hours). I have an easier time falling asleep now. I was worried that IR tabs would give me too much energy all at once upon taking (thus make me jittery and excitable) and later I'd have a sudden mood drop ... But no, I don't feel any noticeable ups and downs ... just steady wakefulness. I may later increase to 3 tabs a day (my doctor wants me to stay on 2 tabs a day for at least a month) and see if I get more energy and none of the problematic side effects.

If you've started taking bupropion recently, those side effects could be just temporary and they'll go away in a month or two. But if they persist, you may need to reduce the dosage (tho you're not taking a high dosage) ... If otherwise bupropion is helping you ease your depression, then perhaps you might want to ask your doctor for some kind of sleep aid to be able to stay asleep during the night ???